Apparatus for stacking a sheet-like flexible material

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an apparatus for stacking a continuous web of material in a continuous zigzag condition or as sheets cut by the apparatus, said apparatus comprising an endless conveyor belt guided around rollers and mounted in a carriage which can be reciprocated horizontally between two end positions, the rollers being mounted in the frame of the apparatus in such a way that a belt loop which is located between the forwardly moving part and the backwardly moving part of the belt is shortened when the carriage makes its outward stroke and resumes its original length when the carriage makes its return stroke. A freewheel coupling allows rotation of the foremost carriage roller and the rear frame roller only in one direction, and a driving system reciprocates the carriage which takes with it the conveyor belt and a cutting means to cut the web, when in an operative condition, at the end of each return stroke of the carriage so that when the cutting means is operative web pieces of equal length are cut off and stacked and when the cutting means is not operative the web is zigzag folded and stacked. A clamp engages the conveyor belt when the cutting means is not operative during the outward stroke so that said belt is moved with respect to the carriage and material is deposited during the outward stroke.

United States Patent 1 Gutknecht Oct. 30, 1973 APPARATUS FOR STACKING ASHEET-LIKE FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Heinrich Gutknecht, Broodakker, Netherlands[75] inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl 270/30, 270/62, 270/79 [51 Int. Cl B65h 29/46 [58] Field oiSearch 270/30-31, 61, 79, 82, 85

[5 6] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,141,610 10/1954Germany 270/30 Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-A.Heinz Attorney-S. Delvalle Goldsmith et a].

[57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to an apparatus for stacking acontinuous web of material in a continuous zigzag i condition or assheets cut by the apparatus, said apparatus comprising an endlessconveyor belt guided around rollers and mounted in a carriage which canbe reciprocated horizontally between two end positions, the rollersbeing mounted in the frame of the apparatus in such a way that a beltloop which is located between the forwardly moving part and thebackwardly moving part of the belt is shortened when the carriage makesits outward stroke and resumes its original length when the carriagemakes its return stroke. A freewheel coupling allows rotation of theforemost carriage roller and the rear frame roller only in onedirection, and a driving system reciprocates the carriage which takeswith it the conveyor belt and a cutting means to cut the web, when in anoperative condition, at the end of each return stroke of the carriage sothat when the cutting means is operative web pieces of equal length arecut off and stacked and when the cutting means is not operative the webis zigzag folded and stacked. A clamp engages the conveyor belt when thecutting means is not operative during the outward stroke so that saidbelt is moved with respect to the carriage and material is depositedduring the outward stroke.

3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 30, 1973 15 Sheets-Sheet v1FIG.1

Patented Oct. 30, 1973 3,768,800

3 Sheets-Sheet 23 Patented Oct. 30, 1973 3,768,800

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 APPARATUS FOR STACKING A SHEET-LIKE FLEXIBLE MATERIALThe present invention relates to an apparatus for stacking a sheet-likeflexible material.

Apparatus of the type which supply and stack individual sheets ofpredetermined length one after another is known. In such apparatus thesupply of the individual sheets is generally by means of a conveyorbelt. Further, apparatus is known in which the material is in the formof a continuous web and the web is folded and stacked in a zigzagfashion. In the latter apparatus no individual sheets are used.

The present invention provides an apparatus which is able, in dependenceon the operational adjustment of the apparatus, to cut and stackindividual material sheets from a continuous web of the material or tofold and stack the continuous material web in a zigzag fashion withoutcutting the web into individual sheets.

According to the present invention apparatus for stacking a flexiblematerial received by the apparatus in the form of a continuous web,comprises a conveyor belt, first and second parallel rollers supportingsaid belt, a carriage rotatably supporting said rollers in fixed spacedrelationship substantially in a horizontal plane, said carriage beingarranged for reciprocation substantially in a horizontal directionbetween first and second end positions, a frame supporting and guidingsaid carriage, third and fourth rollers rotatably mounted in fixedspaced relationship to said frame parallel to said first and secondrollers and supporting said belt, a portion of said belt extending fromsaid third roller to said first roller to support and carry the web, theremainder of the belt extending from the first roller partially roundthe second roller and the fourth roller back to the third roller wherebytension of the belt is maintained during said reciprocation of thecarriage, an actuator connected to cause said reciprocation of saidcarriage with an outward stroke from said first to said second endposition and a return stroke from said second to said first endposition, a freewheel coupling for each of the first and third rollersto allow rotation thereof only in a direction which allows movement ofsaid portion of said belt in the direction of the outward stroke, a webcutting means selectively adjustable from an operative to anon-operative condition, a clamp fixed in relation to said frame andoperable only when the cutting means is in its non-operational conditionto clamp said belt between said first and second rollers to move saidbelt in the same direction as the carriage during said outward stroke sothat the web is conveyed and deposited during the outward stroke, theclamp being arranged to release the belt during the return stroke, and avertically adjustable stacking platform on which a stack of saidmaterial is formed by said reciprocation.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a part of the apparatus;

FIG. 2-5 show the apparatus when it cuts pieces from a continuous web ofmaterial and stacks same;

FIGS. 6-8 show schematically the apparatus when it folds and stacks saidcontinuous web of material in a zigzag fashion;

Referring to the drawings the apparatus comprises a supporting frame 1,an endless conveyor belt 2 for the continuous web of material 3,parallelrotatable guide rollers 4, 5, 6, 7 for the conveyor belt, a hydraulicpiston-cylinder system 8, the piston rod 9 of which is coupled to acarriage 10. The carriage 10 can be reciprocated between two endpositions (shown in FIG. 2 and 6) by means of said piston-cylindersystem 8. The carriage 10 is provided with tempered steel wheels whichare guided on tempered steel guides in the frame 1.

First and second of the rollers 5, 6 are rotatably mounted on thecarriage 10 in fixed spaced relationship. Third and fourth of therollers 4, 7 are rotatably mounted to the frame 1.

A cutting mechanism 11 and 12 is provided which comprises a cooperatinglower blade 11 and upper blade 12 with the lower blade fastened to theframe and the upper blade fastened to the carriage. The upper blade isangled in relation to the lower blade so as to obtain a better shearingaction. The lower blade is adjustable in a verticle direction to allowoptimum shearing action.

The rollers 4, 5 include a freewheel coupling so that they are rotatablein one direction only.

A lifting platform 13 is arranged for vertical movement in the frame 10on tempered steel wheels which run on tempered steel guides. The liftingplatform is moved vertically by a hydraulic piston-cylinder 14 whichengages the lifting platform through a pivoting connecting system.

The required hydraulic fluid under pressure for the cylinders 8, 14 issupplied by a hydraulic pumping unit 16 provided with monitoring andcontrolling devices. The apparatus is provided with electrical switchdevices, so that the apparatus can operate-independently or can beconnected in series with another machine.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described in the operationalstate in which the continuous web is cut and the sheets so produced thenstacked (FIGS. 2 through 5).

First refer to FIG. 2 in which the web of material 3 extends a shortdistance beyond the first roller 5. When the cylinder 8 is actuated, thepiston rod 9 is moved outwardly. Said rod takes the carriage l0 and,consequently, also the first and second rollers 5, 6 with it in thedirection of the arrow P. During this outward stroke of the carriage theconveyor belt 2 is stationary with respect to the carriage with theroller 5 prevented from rotation (in an anti-clockwise direction as seenin the drawings) by its freewheel coupling. The web of material issupported by the uppermost portion of the conveyor belt and is conveyedin the direction of the arrow P. FIG. 3 shows that the length of theloop-shaped portion of the conveyor belt (which portion extends from thefirst roller 5 about the second roller 6 towards the fourth roller 7 andis located between the forwardly moving belt portion and the backwardlymoving belt portion) is reduced during said movement. During the outwardstroke the third and fourth rollers 4, 7 are freely rotatable (seearrows).

When the carriage 10 has reached the end of its outward stroke (seedotted lines in FIG. 2) the direction of movement of the piston rod 9 isreversed by means of an end switch (not shown). The carriage is thenreturned in the direction of the arrow P (see FIG. 4). During the returnstroke the first roller 5 is rotating (see arrow) and the third andfourth rollers 4 and 7 do not rotate, the third roller 4 being preventedfrom rotation in an anti-clockwise direction as seen in the drawings byits associated freewheel coupling. The carriage is returned from belowthe web piece 17 which is deposited onto the lifting platform 13 (oronto a pallet which is positioned on said platform). When the operationof the apparatus starts the lifting platform 13 is in its highestposition.

At the end of the return stroke (FIGS. the upper blade 12 which isfastened to the carriage cooperates with the lower blade 11 which isfastened to the frame 1 to shear the web piece 17 from the web 3.

A further end switch (not shown) causesthe reversal of the movement andthe cycle is then repeated. In this way a stack 18 is formed on thelifting platform 13, which stack comprises cut off web pieces 17 all ofthe same length. The length of each piece corresponds with the strokelength of the carriage 10 and this stroke length is adjustable byadjustment of the operating position of the end switches.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described, with reference toFIGS. 6-8, in the operational state in which the web 3 is folded andstacked in zigzag fashion without being cut.

The carriage 10 makes its outward stroke in a similar way to thatrepresented in FIG. 2. However, the conveyor belt 2 is clamped by aclamp 19 fixed relative to the frame at a point located between saidfirst and second rollers 5 and 6. As a result of this the conveyor belt2 is moved with respect to the carriage (FIGS. 6 and 7) and web materialis deposited onto the platform 13 during said outward stroke (FIG. 7).

The return stroke (FIG. 8) is similar to that of FIG. 4 with the clamp19 disengaged. The end switch which sould reverse the movement of thepiston-cylinder system 8, 9 is positionally adjusted so that the blades11, 12 (not shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8) do not contact one another duringthis mode of operation and the web 3 is therefore, not cut into pieces,but is deposited as an endless and zigzag stack (FIG. 8).

When a zigzag stack of a desired size has been produced on the platform,the end switch arrangement is adjusted so that the blades cooperate tocut the web at the end of a return stroke.

Although the operation of the apparatus is not restricted to a certaintype of web material the apparatus is particularly suited for foldingand stacking sheets and webs of rubber.

The invention is not restricted to the described embodiments, butcomprises all variants covered by the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for stacking a flexible material received by the apparatusin the form of a continuous web, comprising a conveyor belt, first andsecond parallel rollers supporting said belt, a carriage rotatablysupporting said rollers in fixed spaced relationship substantialy in ahorizontal plane, said carriage being arranged for reciprocationsubstantially in a horizontal direction between first and second endpositions, a frame supporting and guiding said carriage, third andfourth rollers rotatably mounted in fixed spaced relationship to saidframe parallel to said first and second rollers and supporting saidbelt, a portion of said belt extending from said third roller to saidfirst roller to support and carry the web, the remainder of the beltextending from the first roller partially round the second roller andthe fourth roller back to the third roller whereby tension of the beltis maintained during said reciprocation of the carriage, an actuatorconnected to cause said reciprocation of said carriage with an outwardstroke from said first to said second end position and a return strokefrom said second to said first end position, a freewheel coupling foreach of the first and third rollers to allow rotation thereof only in adirection which allows movement of said portion of said belt in thedirection of the outward stroke, a web cutting means mounted on saidapparatus and selectively adjustable from an operative to anon-operative condition, a clamp mounted on said frame, control means torender said clamp operable only when the cutting means is in itsnon-operational condition to clamp said belt between said first andsecond rollers to move said belt in the same direction as the carriageduring said outward stroke so that the web is conveyed and depositedduring the outward stroke, said control means being arranged to causesaid clamp to release the belt during the return stroke allowing alength of web material to be deposited during the return stroke and avertically adjustable stacking platform on which a stack of saidmaterial is formed by said reciprocation.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting means comprises afirst blade which is fastened to the frame and a second blade which isfastened to the carriage and which, when the cutting means is in operative condition cooperates with the first blade to shear said web atthe end of each return stroke of the carriage.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises ahydraulic cylinder-piston system, the

piston rod of which is coupled to the carriage and compiston rod and theattached carriage.

l l II

1. Apparatus for stacking a flexible material received by the apparatusin the form of a continuous web, comprising a conveyor belt, first andsecond parallel rollers supporting said belt, a carriage rotatablysupporting said rollers in fixed spaced relationship substantialy in ahorizontal plane, said carriage being arranged for reciprocationsubstantially in a horizontal direction between first and second endpositions, a frame supporting and guiding said carriage, third andfourth rollers rotatably mounted in fixed spaced relationship to saidframe parallel to said first and second rollers and supporting saidbelt, a portion of said belt extending from said third roller to saidfirst roller to support and carry the web, the remainder of the beltextending from the first roller partially round the second roller andthe fourth roller back to the third roller whereby tension of the beltis maintained during said reciprocation of the carriage, an actuatorconnected to cauSe said reciprocation of said carriage with an outwardstroke from said first to said second end position and a return strokefrom said second to said first end position, a freewheel coupling foreach of the first and third rollers to allow rotation thereof only in adirection which allows movement of said portion of said belt in thedirection of the outward stroke, a web cutting means mounted on saidapparatus and selectively adjustable from an operative to anon-operative condition, a clamp mounted on said frame, control means torender said clamp operable only when the cutting means is in itsnon-operational condition to clamp said belt between said first andsecond rollers to move said belt in the same direction as the carriageduring said outward stroke so that the web is conveyed and depositedduring the outward stroke, said control means being arranged to causesaid clamp to release the belt during the return stroke allowing alength of web material to be deposited during the return stroke, and avertically adjustable stacking platform on which a stack of saidmaterial is formed by said reciprocation.
 2. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the cutting means comprises a first blade which isfastened to the frame and a second blade which is fastened to thecarriage and which, when the cutting means is in operative conditioncooperates with the first blade to shear said web at the end of eachreturn stroke of the carriage.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1,wherein said actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder-piston system, thepiston rod of which is coupled to the carriage and comprising endswitches at the end of each stroke of the carriage to reverse thedirection of movement of the piston rod and the attached carriage.